Charles Scott Nets Early Interest

Michael Lombardo

02/18/2010

These things we know about A.J. Smith: 1) he plans to release LaDainian Tomlinson; and 2) he loves to draft LSU players. So it should come as no surprise the San Diego Chargers are showing an early interest in power runner Charles Scott.

Charles Scott (6-foot, 234 pounds) is one of the top power runners in this year's draft. He notched a career average of 5.5 ypc and punched in 35 touchdowns, including 18 as a junior in 2008. His senior season was truncated by a broken collarbone -- an injury that prevented him from competing during Senior Bowl week -- but he is healthy now and projected as a second- or third-round draft pick. He shares his journey with us in this exclusive semiweekly series.

ML: Talk about your experience during Senior Bowl week. How much were you able to accomplish without being able to participate physically?

Scott: I definitely enjoyed my time down there. I was disappointed that I didn't get to participate, but I did have a lot of meetings with a lot of different NFL scouts and coaches. I made a lot of good connections and got to meet a lot of guys face to face, which was good.

RB Charles Scott

ML: Were any of your meetings particularly significant?

Scott: There were a lot of people, from the Saints to the Broncos, there were a lot of guys that stuck out to me. I think some teams wanted to meet with me strictly on a needs basis, but it's kind of hard to tell because they keep all that under wraps. But I had about 20 or 30 meetings. It was a lot in one week.

ML: Did you meet with anyone from the Chargers or Cardinals?

Scott: Yes, I met with both of them.

ML: Do you remember whom you met with from those teams?

Scott: I met with (college scout) Darrell Moody from the Chargers. He actually coached at LSU (1980-1983) from what he told me. I don't remember the name of the guy I met with for the Cardinals.

ML: Speaking of the Chargers, they have four former LSU guys on their roster: Buster Davis, Jacob Hester, Demetrius Byrd and Darry Beckwith. Do you keep in touch with any of those guys?

Scott: I keep up with those guys pretty good. Not so much with Buster, but with Hester I just talked to him the other day. I have a pretty good relationship with everybody that was on our team and left.

ML: What would it be like to be reunited with Hester in San Diego's backfield?

Scott: It would be a great experience to be reunited with old friends. We actually kind of joked about it the other day when I talked to him about me coming out there. It would be a great experience.

ML: Talk about what you bring to an NFL team.

Scott: I'll be the power back, an every-down back who can wear down a defense as the game goes on.

ML: How difficult will it be to stay healthy for 16 games as a full-time power back?

Scott: It's a factor of body maintenance. You have to have good body recovery, and if you're in great shape, you can do it week in and week out. My running style isn't going to change very much from LSU to the NFL, so it is what it is. I've just got to have great body maintenance.

ML: How significant is the NFL Combine for you personally? What are your goals for that event?

Scott: It's definitely significant for me as well as any other college football player that's attending. It's where you make your name. You go and you either show out or you kind of flop, so it's a big part of your career as far as where you go in the draft, how high you're going to go, or what one team will really think about you. I'm just focusing on doing well in every drill, especially the 40. I don't have a set number in my head, I just know that I have to go do well.

Michael Lombardo is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and a long-time contributor to the Scout.com network. His analysis has been published by the NFL Network, Fox Sports and MySpace Sports. He has followed the Chargers for more than 15 years and covered the team since 2003. You can see more of his updates by following him on twitter.